2010-2011 Professional Development Opportunities


Powerful Strategies to Enhance Learning of Gifted and Highly Able Students
Instructor: Nathan Levy
Date: Thursday, September 16, 2010
Time: 12:30pm – 3:30pm
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Sullivan Room

Nathan Levy, author of Stories with Holes, shares numerous proven ways to reach all learners in challenging ways. The objective is to have participants leave with a variety of new strategies and specific ideas to help children become better creative and critical thinkers. A variety of successful teaching/ parenting techniques will be share – as well as numerous reading, writing, and thinking activities. Bring your thinking caps and funny bones to this dynamic presentation.

How to Help Your Child Be a Better Thinker and Learner
Instructor: Nathan Levy
Date: Thursday, September 16, 2010
Time: 5:00pm – 7:30pm
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Sullivan Room

This workshop explores numerous ways to reach learners in different and interesting ways that have been developed by Nathan Levy in his roles as educator, parent, and author. Parents will learn to assist their children in developing fluency in thinking and writing. Participants will leave with a multitude of new time-saving strategies, abundant creative ideas for activities, and knowledge of specific materials for implementing these new strategies. Join Nathan for his informative and humorous presentation. Bring your thinking caps.
About Nathan Levy
Nathan Levy (the author of Stories with Holes, Whose Clues?, and Nathan Levy's 100 Intriguing Questions) is a gifted educator. In his thirty five years as a teacher and principal, Nathan worked directly with children, teachers and parents. He has developed unique teaching strategies that encouraged the love of learning. Mr. Levy has mentored more than thirty current principals and superintendents, as well as helped to train thousands of teachers and parents in better ways to help children learn.

Nathan Levy’s books will be available for purchase.

Stock Market Game
Date: Thursday, October 7, 2010
Time: 8:30am-2:30pm
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, McAuliffe Room
Fee: None

This hands-on workshop is PA Standards-aligned and delivers instruction for implementing the Stock Market Game in grade levels 4-12. Instruction here uses the wide & varied supplementary lessons and assessments provided on-line. All materials across the curriculum are supplementary/adaptable to Math, Social Studies, Language Arts and Consumer/Business Education. Gifted and talented Program Teachers find this challenging and appropriate for their students. Teachers develop skills for generating independent study & team cooperation & competition, using internet resources, how to integrate teaching strategies, materials, publications, research data-bases and more. Consultants from Janney/Montgomery Scott, Inc. are co-presenters. Teacher-Advisor materials are free to those who participate in the 5-hour (5 credits) session. Complimentary breakfast & light lunch served.


Writing a Successful Business Plan
Date: Monday, November 8, 2010
Time: 8:30am-2:30pm
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, McAuliffe Room
Fee: None

Business/Consumer/ Entrepreneurial Education Teachers learn this supplementary curriculum which works to attract venture capital to entrepreneurial ideas and also provide a "road map" for starting a business. It includes lessons for deciding business concept/organization, researching the market, determining budgets & marginal costs, developing the Executive Summary, and lots more. Lessons are PA Standards-aligned and materials, lessons, activities, assessments are all free to participating teachers and a regional-state-wide competition is offered for finished plans. 5 Act 48 credits earned, free continental breakfast and a light lunch are served.

Youth Entrepreneurship Day
Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Time: 8:30am-2:30pm
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, McGuffey/Sullivan Rooms
Fee: None

This all-day program is the same experience as in the content for the Business Plan except that it is adapted for students and their interested teachers. Presenters deliver standards-aligned lessons and activities to student groups who have already decided on a business concept. Students bring this concept to this session and then learn to adapt their idea to the format of a successful business plan. Competition and prizes are offered for finished plans in both a regional and state-wide competition. Students return from this session with a drafted Business Plan and teachers afterward may take advantage of the Pitt/RMU Business Plan Clinic services to complete and polish the plans for competition!

Gifted Education Resource Day
Instructor: Various
Date: Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Time: 8:30am-3:00pm
Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, McGuffey/Sullivan Room
Fee: None

Gifted Education Resource Day consists of 15 minute presentations by various organizations and businesses that provide resources and programs for teachers of the gifted. Past presentations have included the Society for Contemporary Craft, Carnegie Science Center, First in Math, Smart Futures and Japan America Society of Pennsylvania. A longer workshop is offered after lunch where a topic of interest is presented in depth. Past workshops have included Standards Aligned Systems and Differentiated Instruction.